The Biggest Local News Stories Of 2013

Misconduct In Office Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold faced a trial for misconduct in office, was found guilty and stepped down from his county executive position. He served time in jail but has since been released.

The Ravens Win The Super Bowl For the second time in franchise history, the Ravens won the Super Bowl. There was a parade and fans everywhere felt the glow of purple pride. This season is not going as well, but there’s still hope for a wild card position.

Trainee Shot During Training Exercise A police academy recruit was shot in the head during a training exercise. (A trial followed later in the year). This led to a major shakeup in the police department and new regulations for training exercises.

Dr. Nikita Levy A gynecologist was accused of videotaping patients during exams. He committed suicide. There was a civil trial and dozens of women came forward. The incident came to light after a co-worker realized what was going on and alerted bosses.

Ethan Saylor A developmentally disabled man died in police custody, leading to a major outcry. He was seeing a movie and refused to leave the theater. Police physically restrained him on the ground, leading to asphyxiation.

Hepatitis C A health care worker transmitted Hepatitis C to dozens of people over several states. There was ultimately a trial and he was found guilty. David Kwiatkowsi was sentenced to 39 years in prison.

Jailhouse Soap Opera Inmate Tavon White, part of the Black Guerrilla Family gang, is accused of running a major smuggling ring inside the Baltimore City Detention Center; he also reportedly got four guards pregnant. This ultimately led to several people losing their jobs and a massive change in regulations at the Detention Center.

Blogger Murder A Howard County blogger was murdered. His daughter and her boyfriend were later accused. It was revealed that she also wanted her stepmother killed, but she escaped.

CSX Train Accident A CSX train collided with a truck leading to a derailment and a huge explosion. The truck driver was the only reported injury but there was massive property damage. It was later determined to be the result of driver error (the truck driver).

Summer Of Violence Baltimore’s shooting rate skyrocketed over the summer. It seemed like every day, there were shootings, many of them fatal. Community leaders and residents rallied, and police increased patrols.

Edward Snowden Former Md. resident Edward Snowden makes headlines worldwide after he blew the whistle on the NSA and their surveillance programs. People are still debating whether he’s a hero or a traitor; Snowden received temporary asylum from Russia.

Bay Bridge Accident A college student was struck from behind by a truck driver on the Bay Bridge. Her car went off the side of the bridge; she managed to escape and swam to safety. This led to further investigation into the integrity of the bridge. The driver was cited for the crash. It turned out that it was his first solo trip in the U.S.

Navy Yard Shooting. Alexis Aaron entered the Navy Yard and began shooting, killing 12 people, including a Westminster man. Aaron was later shot and killed. It was later revealed that he had recently been laid off.

Towson Robberies Several students and other Towson residents had money and cell phones stolen in a string of robberies. Some of the cases had arrests; others did not. It’s still unknown if the robberies were all connected, but many occurred late at night or early in the morning.

Health Insurance Woes Like the country’s health insurance website, Maryland’s health exchange site had major problems. Many people were not able to register or access health insurance plans. Ultimately, the woman in charge resigned. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown said that things are getting better, but he ultimately accepts responsibility for the problems.